West Virginia’s nationally televised ‘Coal Rush’ matchup against Iowa State holds a lot of weight for the Mountaineers.
Despite an undefeated conference record and only two losses, both to ranked teams, WVU is right on the edge of a disappointing season.
Just weeks ago, after falling to now-ranked No. 22 Pittsburgh, WVU fans could only be described as fired up. The 1-2 Mountaineers had already played their two highest anticipated games of the year, and they lost both. In Week 1’s Big Noon Kickoff against Penn State, they lost convincingly, breaking months of growing energy.
Preseason expectations in Morgantown pinned the 2024 squad as WVU’s best chance to go for a Big 12 title. Initially, the hype stayed within the fanbase, but just before Week 1, it grew nationally, with ESPN analysts picking WVU to make the College Football Playoff and alum Pat McAfee bringing his top-rated show to Morgantown.
Penn State, while widely viewed as the better team before the game, was put at WVU’s level in many minds before Week 1. As the Nittany Lions dismantled the Mountaineers, the WVU hype vanished instantly.
Fans were shocked after the loss, but was not until the Week 3 Backyard Brawl that the fanbase began to turn on the team and coaching staff.
WVU fell 38-34 in Pittsburgh after leading by 10 with 4:55 remaining in the game. Pitt freshman Eli Holstein made just about every move he wanted at quarterback, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns and escaping WVU’s pressure when necessary.
Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley received extreme backlash after the loss, feeling the most of WVU fans’ cries for coaching staff firings. Fans’ response to the loss put head coach Neal Brown’s job security in the air as well.
Now, just under a month later, the storm surrounding West Virginia Football is a wave of excitement once again. One week after blowing a lead to Pittsburgh, WVU opened conference play by giving the Kansas Jayhawks that experience, bouncing back from an 11-point deficit with 5:39 remaining to win 32-28.
A bye week followed WVU’s comeback, leveling the noise around the Mountaineers for the first time all season. Last weekend, against 2023 Big 12 Championship finalist Oklahoma State, that noise returned for the better.
Capitalizing on the Cowboys’ recent downward spiral, the Mountaineers took down Oklahoma State 38-14 and is now one of five Big 12 teams undefeated in conference play.
For the second time this year, West Virginia now plays host to a nationally ranked program as well as the FOX broadcasting crew. No. 11 Iowa State stands as the Big 12’s top-ranked program after easy wins and, as several other opponents have this year, holds the fate of WVU’s identity in its hands.
West Virginia fights to continue its upward trajectory at 8 p.m. at Milan Puskar Stadium.
